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Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Toronto’s NBA Finals victory

By Austin Carroll

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors looks at the NBA trophy with Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors after winning the NBA Championship against the Golden State Warriors during Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors looks at the NBA trophy with Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors after winning the NBA Championship against the Golden State Warriors during Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 13: Kyle Lowry #7, Kawhi Leonard #2, and Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors pose for a photo after Game Six of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 13: Kyle Lowry #7, Kawhi Leonard #2, and Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors pose for a photo after Game Six of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. Fortune Favors the Bold

Toronto’s incredibly bold move last summer could shape the NBA for years to come. Instead of standing pat with their current roster that repeatedly fell short of the NBA Finals, the Raptors pulled the trigger on a deal that traded away the best player in their franchise’s history – DeMar Derozan – for a legitimate superstar in Kawhi Leonard.

With only one remaining year on his contract, fans were shocked the Raptors would mortgage their entire future on a one-year gamble with Leonard. A move like this had never been done before and without any precedent to ease their minds, many fans felt apprehensive about the trade.

In fact, the predominant intitial reaction on social media was that Toronto possibly gave up too much to land Kawhi.

https://twitter.com/2kMomentCards/status/1019567839148167168

In retrospect, that seems awfully silly now knowing Leonard would help lift the Raptors to their first ever championship in franchise history and the first championship for a non-American team. Considering so many other Eastern Conference teams like the 76ers and Bucks also made big moves to upgrade in the absence of LeBron James, it’s fair to say this championship could never have even been dreamed of without making the blockbuster trade.

Toronto doubled down on that gambit with a move to acquire a proven veteran and former All-Star Marc Gasol, who ended up being a vital piece to the Raptors’ playoff run. With how closely contested the series against Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Golden State ended up being, every seemingly small move made an enormous difference.

The Portland Trail Blazers could greatly benefit by taking a page from the Raptors’ book. Much like the Raptors of olde, Portland is a perennial playoff contender that never has enough in the tank to get over the hump. Even after an impressive postseason run that ended in the Western Conference Finals, there’s hardly any guarantee the Blazers will replicate that success next year.

If the Blazers wish to outpace teams like the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and injured Golden State Warriors next year, they’ll need to switch gears and take it up a level. Anthony Davis is the most obvious candidate currently on the trade market, but stars like Blake Griffin or Kevin Love could also be worth making a big move for. For further trade ideas that would help push the Blazers into title contention, you can read here.